Amir Bouhamdi has reportedly decided to represent Morocco, despite efforts from the Netherlands Football Federation and Xavi to persuade the PSV winger to remain available for the Oranje.
The decision has not yet been officially confirmed, but accountFRMF Xtra, which is generally well informed about Morocco’s national teams, says the 18-year-old has informed the Moroccan Football Federation of his choice.
Bouhamdi’s reported decision would be significant for both countries as they compete increasingly closely for players from the Dutch-Moroccan diaspora. The Netherlands remain determined to retain their best eligible prospects, while Morocco have invested heavily in identifying and persuading dual nationals at an early age.
Bouhamdi is regarded as one of the most promising young players at PSV Eindhoven. He joined the club from Roda JC in 2017 and has progressed through each level of the academy before moving into Jong PSV and beginning to feature around the first team.
PSV’s faith in his potential was underlined recently when the club extended his contract until 2031. The left winger also made an impression in one of his latest appearances, providing two assists in PSV’s 6-1 victory at Utrecht.
The Netherlands are understood not to have abandoned their efforts to convince Bouhamdi, while the FRMF has stepped up its own approach in recent days. However, the balance now appears to have shifted firmly towards Morocco.
If confirmed, the move would offer more than an additional option to Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi. It would also represent another important moment in the long-running contest between the two national teams for highly rated players with Dutch and Moroccan backgrounds.
Morocco has one of the largest Moroccan communities in Europe in the Netherlands. For many years, the leading Dutch-Moroccan players generally chose to represent the Oranje. That pattern began to change gradually, with Hakim Ziyech and then Noussair Mazraoui helping to alter the balance before a new generation started showing an early preference for Morocco’s international project.
Morocco’s victory over the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup could further strengthen that trend. Beating the Oranje directly on football’s biggest stage would have enhanced the reputation of the Atlas Lions among young players eligible to represent both countries, as well as underlining Morocco’s growing status in the international game.
It would still be too early to conclude that Morocco has definitively gained the upper hand. The Netherlands continue to offer a prestigious national team, a globally respected development system and a strong incentive for their most talented players to remain within their setup.
The difference from previous decades, however, is that Morocco is no longer viewed simply as a second choice. The FRMF has spent several years monitoring dual nationals from a young age, particularly in the Netherlands, and players such as Abdellah Ouazane have already demonstrated the value of that strategy.
Bouhamdi could become another success in the contest. His reported choice points to a wider question for the next decade: whether the Netherlands or Morocco can do more to persuade the leading talents emerging from the Dutch-Moroccan community to commit their international futures.